Qatar Airways has announce the appointment of its new Master of Wine, who will play a pivotal role in ensuring the airline continues to offer what it calls “the world’s best customer experience for all passengers”.

Anne Krebiehl is one of only 421 people in the world to hold the prestigious Master of Wine qualification, and brings her wealth of industry experience and knowledge to the World’s Best Airline as voted by Skytrax in 2024.

As an award-winning writer, editor, and renowned wine judge, Ms Krebiehl will be responsible for carefully curating the airline’s wine selection and sourcing strategy, securing highly sought-after wines for First and Business Class passengers, and helping to ensure Qatar Airways remains ahead of industry trends.

Procuring wine for a commercial airline is a complex process due to lower humidity and cabin pressure affecting passenger senses and the ability to perceive intricate flavours. Using her expertise, Ms Krebiehl will take these factors into consideration when curating Qatar Airways’ wine menus. She will also work with wineries to develop unique blends specific for Economy Class passengers that perform exceptionally well at 40,000 feet and use innovative sustainable packaging options.

The Qatar Airways Master of Wine role involves extensive wine judging, including an annual blind tasting of more than 1,000 bottles from around the world. Qatar Airways’ commitment to selecting wines based solely on taste, instead of just focussing on labels, scores by wine critics and prices, results in a varied and unique onboard selection.

In recent years, Qatar Airways has consistently ranked among the world’s top three airlines for exceptional onboard wine selections, as recognised by highly reputable awards, including Business Traveller’s “Cellars in the Sky” and Global Traveller’s “Wines on the Wing”.

Qatar Airways is committed to offering a memorable and luxurious gastronomic experience to its customers, and the Master of Wine will collaborate closely with the airline’s award-winning culinary design team to meticulously pair wines with onboard dining options. Additionally, the Master of Wine will create engaging training materials for Cabin Crew to ensure they uphold the highest serving standards 40,000 ft in the sky.

Xia Cai, Qatar Airways’ Senior Vice President, Product Development, said: “Qatar Airways is excited to welcome Anne Krebiehl to our award-winning team as Master of Wine. Ms Krebiehl’s deep industry knowledge is crucial to the success of Qatar Airways’ wine program which, in turn, is fundamental to our commitment to consistently providing an unforgettable, world-class travel experience on each flight.

“Ms Krebiehl is at the forefront of the wine industry, and will be able to bring her forward-thinking knowledge and sourcing expertise to our airline to ensure we continue to remain the world’s best.”

Anne Krebiehl, Qatar Airways Master of Wine, said: “I’m thrilled to be joining Qatar Airways, the World’s Best Airline, as their new Master of Wine. I truly believe that great wine and food is key to enjoying life, even at 40,000 ft in the air, and Qatar Airways’ wine program is a testament to its customer-centric approach.

“I am looking forward to using my expertise to contribute to offering the best possible customer experience onboard, helping to boost Qatar Airways’ customer satisfaction and loyalty.”

On 25 November, Qatar Airways officially introduced Anne Krebiehl as the new Master of Wine with an exclusive event at Two-Michelin-starred restaurant, Alex Dilling at Hotel Café Royal in London. For the first time in the airline’s history, a select group of European media participated in a blind wine tasting event hosted by the airline’s Master of Wine.

Earlier this month, Qatar Airways also launched its new onboard dining menus across the UK and Europe, emphasising fresh and seasonal ingredients.

The menus are comforting and heart-warming, designed for the winter months in Europe, using carefully selected winter produce including root vegetables like Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes and winter squash, as well as seasonal fruits, such as pears and cranberries.

Qatar Airways’ dining menus change roughly once per quarter in line with the seasons to maintain excitement among frequent fliers.